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Saturday, January 7, 2012

2 Years

Dearest Ryan,

2 days old

You turned 2 years old today. As I have said so many times before, it feels like just yesterday that you were born, and yet, I can't imagine life without you. It feels as if you have always been a part of our life. But when I look back and think of the day you were born it is so vivid. I remember seeing you for the first time when they held you above my head, and I remember that first sweet kiss. I remember watching your Daddy proudly hold you. He was a natural, as if he had been holding new born babies all his life, when in reality you were the tiniest person he had ever touched. I remember nervously and excitedly bringing you home. I remember the early sleepless nights when we wondered what we were doing wrong. And I look back now, on all of it, and I know we didn't do anything wrong. We loved you fiercely from the moment you were born, and every minute of it has been so very right. You have blossomed into a beautiful little boy (yes, you truly are a little boy these days. You're not a baby any more) and your Daddy and I are so very, very proud of you. We know you will change as your grow. You will have your less than perfect moments (as you do now at times) but we will always love you. And we will always be proud of you.

As I said in your 18 month letter, you are a kind, gentle (except when wrestling with Daddy or me), sensitive, funny, out-going, fun-loving, smart, and sweet little boy. Right now, one of the things that people most seem to notice about you is your language. You talk up a storm. You speak in complete sentences and you try to repeat everything we say. You excitedly point out trucks as we drive down the road ("Look Mama! Dat an ec-a-vator [excavator]!" Or "Mama! Dat a fire twuck??? I hear it, but I don't see it!") you tell Nee-Nee and Pop-Pop every single time you talk to them on the phone that "I want to go get Iiiiiice ceam!" When Daddy comes home from work you ask him, "How was your day, Daddy?" and then you go on to tell him about your day, "We go to da libary and da sore [store]. It was fun." At night, when you're stalling and don't want to go to sleep right away you will call Daddy or I back into your room just to say, "I love you sooooooo much!" It's cute and manipulative all at the same time. Lately, when someone asks you, "How old are you?" you will usually answer by proudly saying, "I twenty-seven." I have no idea where you got this number from, but you consistently tell anyone who asks that yes, you are indeed 27.

Speaking of numbers, you can count consistently to 16 and sometimes as high as 27! You know all your colors and shapes, all the uppercase letters of the alphabet and most of the lowercase letters. You love trains and trucks, and you know all the different kinds of each: freight train, tender, caboose, engine, cattle car, and excavators, dump trucks, fire trucks, cranes, bulldozers, etc. You're a sponge when it comes to taking in new information. It is amazing to watch you learn every day.

1 year old

You are still a very active little guy and would prefer to spend your time outside more than anywhere else. Though, with winter here, you are adjusting to spending time inside and are lately enjoying playing with trucks, cars, blocks, trains, your ice cream parlor, kitchen set, helicopter, and yes, my Ipad. You figured out how to use it almost immediately and I made the mistake of downloading a few apps for you. You would play with it alllll day long if we let you, but of course we don't. Though, I can credit a neat little game called "Zoo Train" with teaching you your lowercase letters. :) But when you’re not playing with the Ipad, which usually you’re not, you are using your imagination like crazy. I love to hear the conversations you have with yourself while playing. You imagine going to the moon, riding on trucks, and fixing things. Sometimes you do all these things at once. Watching your imagination soar is a joy!

I realized as I went back to read your 18 month letter that I didn't mention sleep, and that really isn't fair considering I spent the first year of your life (and then some) complaining about your poor sleep habits. BUT! I must commend you! You slept through the night for the first time EVER right around 14 months. You went back and forth for a while there, sleeping through sometimes and others not. Well, right around 18 months we decided, ENOUGH! We were going to let you "cry it out" if you woke up. Well, you cried one night for 6 minutes, and you have slept through the night every night since then, expect on the few occasions when you're sick or we're out of town. You fall asleep on your own around 8:30, and typically sleep till 7:00. You nap for about 2 hours every day. We couldn't ask for more! If we knew "crying it out" would be so painless we would have done it MONTHS ago! One of the things that seems to help you go to sleep is that you have finally adopted a “lovey.” Your “little duck” is your must have go to sleep animal, and your “Big Duck” is a close second. We actually have three little ducks: one at home, one at Auntie Cindy’s and Uncle John’s, and one at Nee-Nee and Pop-Pop’s. As long as you have one you’re happy! So, congrats on now being a fabulous sleeper! Your Daddy and I are new people now that we know we too can sleep through the night. THANK YOU!

And Ryan, THANK YOU for so much more! Thank you for bringing immense joy to our lives and to the lives of all the people who love you. You truly are a pleasure to be around. You give life a new and deeper meaning. As I have said before, you have made me a better person. Being your Mama is the best thing I have ever done. And doing it together with your Daddy makes it even more amazing. We have a special little family the three of us. And we hope (fingers crossed) that sometime before you turn 3 that we will be able to announce that you're going to be a big brother. When that day comes, I have no doubt that you will indeed be an amazing big brother! But until then, we will cherish the family of three that we are. For it is indeed a very special family.